Through the parent's eyes
by open hearts catch dreams
Summary: the events in the movie from Jack Bolton and Mrs. Montez P.O.V from the point in the movie where Troy and Gabriella sing Breaking Free


High School Musical fanfiction

Through the parent's eyes

Jack Bolton, Troy's dad, a champion basketball player and the coach of East High's basketball team walked un-noticed into the theatre, his eyes immediately drawn to the two on stage. One was of course, Troy, singing; with the girl he had caught him with in the gym, Gabriella Montez, the new girl.

She had arrived at East High not long ago but she had already affected Troy. In the first two days she arrived he had landed detention with Chad in the theatre with Darbus and deliberately skipped free period practice to boot, not to mention getting into the call backs with the part Filipino girl.

She was a science geek; Taylor McKessie had already rounded her up for the decathlon team and Chad _had_ been trying almost non stop to get Troy to leave this stupid fantasy of singing, but his attempts had become few and far between.

He leant against the wall and crossed his arms. The basketball game had had to stop due to 'technical difficulties', yeah right! Taylor was clever, she could have done one of many things to stop the game, as for the decathlon, if a pot of something, he vaguely recalled Chad calling it the 'grown ups potion class', were to blow up, that would be stalled too.

Yes, he was sure Taylor had something to do with them not being in the gym now, but he wasn't sure she was the only one.

As the game was called to a stop he saw Chad look meaningfully at Troy and nudge him to the door. Troy took off without a backward glance, Chad had been smiling then and the whole team had left with no dawdling, as if they knew where they were going as soon as they were released, and as he came in, lo and behold, there they were, clapping and laughing with Taylor and the other decathlon team members in the theatre.

He looked at the stage with a critical eye, fine, he would watch and see why the team and his son thought they could stop the game to _sing_.

"And together we see it coming" Gabriella sang.

Troy jumped in, fitting perfectly with the beat, "More than you More than me-"

"Not a want, but a need," Gabriella sang sweetly with a smile and he understood what Troy meant; she did have the voice of an angel. Still!

"Both of us breaking free!" they also sang in perfect harmony.

They sang so well together, like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle would fit, was this a good enough reason to shut down the game, even if for an hour? He didn't want it to be, but the look in Troy's eyes conveyed something strong.

Love.

Jack didn't know if it was for the girl he sang with or for the singing, the song or what, but it was there.

It had been there when he played basketball up until the day after the New Year's party when he had had a practice with him.

He just hadn't put his heart into it as much, now he guessed why, there had been a karaoke, was it possible he had sung with her that night? Was that how all this had started?

His mind returned to the teens onstage.

"There's not a star in heaven that we can't reach," they sang together then she took over for her line.

"If we're trying-"

"Yeah we're breaking free," Troy joined her to finish the line.

Jack got a puzzled look on his face briefly noticing their proximity.

Troy was often bugged by the cheerleaders, he always edged away carefully.

Gabriella swayed her hips and moved with the beat of the piano the girl was playing with a big smile on her face.

She was standing slightly to the side of Troy but in front of him too, and he moved with her, not shyly, but confidently, their bodies almost rubbing together and his eyes again conveyed his message.

He acted different around her than other girls, maybe he liked her?

NO, she was a science geek, he was the captain of the basketball team, they were worlds apart.

Wasn't that what their song said?

He had heard Troy saying his lines at home when he thought he couldn't be over heard,

'We know the world can see us in a way that's different than who we are, Gabriella's line, Creating space between us 'till we're separate hearts, both, but your faith it gives me strength, strength to believe-'

He had said that, then been called for dinner.

They knew they were worlds apart, but they didn't want to be. They had fought their friends to stay with each other, and now they were singing about their hard times on stage, still fighting to show their teachers and parents that they wanted their worlds combined.

"We know the world can see us, in a way that's different than who we… are," they finished looking at each other, both smiling as the audience erupted. He looked across the hall to Mrs. Darbus, who seemed to be crying her eyes out, well she had always been over dramatic, then at a lady who could only be Gabriella's mother. She too had the dark Filipino skin and the black brown hair, only hers hung straight, not in the natural curls that Gabriella's did.

She was smiling at her daughter, not that she noticed, she was too busy smiling at Troy.

He turned his attention back to his son and his eyes went wide, Troy leaned in and kissed her, on the cheek, but even so!

Gabriella smiled and then laughed as the audience swarmed around them as they came down and returned to their respective duties.

Jack frowned at the teen as she smiled charmingly at Troy as wished him good luck before being dragged off by her team.

"Good luck to you too!"

Troy shouted after her then jogged to the gym with his team.

Jack sat in the end chair on the front row as the time on the 'repaired' clock ticked away.

The game had been fast and furious Troy had been completely focused as well as Chad, though as a player got fouled and the game stalled momentarily he saw him tapping his foot to the beat of the song his best friend had sung.

Troy got a basket as the time stopped and the referee called in East High Wildcats the winners. Jack smiled and ran over to the team with the trophy. Troy was hoisted up by the team and once on the floor Jack gave him a hug, "Well done son."

"Thanks dad," Troy answered. Jack opened his mouth but was stopped by the dramatic, as always, appearance of Mrs. Darbus, who also congratulated Troy, on what was uncertain however.

Jack left his son's side at a beckoning from the referee.

He watched his son over the ref's shoulder.

Troy pointed at Zeke as Gabriella came out of no where and grabbed him in a hug from behind.

"Congratulations Wildcat," Gabriella smiled.

She had changed out of her clothes, instead of the pinky purple V neck t-shirt and flower print skirt she had been wearing, she now wore a scarlet knee length spaghetti strap dress with a level but low neckline and fitted bodice that flattered her figure. Her hair was now completely down instead of half tied with a red ribbon as it had been before.

He turned and she let him go, both wore smiles, Troy did a double take when he saw what she was wearing but Gabriella didn't notice.

"What about your team?" Troy asked.

He held onto her again as she answered his question, their hands wrapped around each other's lower arms.

"We won too!"

Troy smiled at her and Jack's eyes went wide again as he realised Troy was pulling her in toward him. He couldn't leave the conversation so he prayed someone got to them before they ended up kissing, he could tell from their current movements, this time a proper kiss.

He watched them get so close it was like a film in slow motion, her left hand slid up his arm and held on gently and his hand moved to her elbow on her other arm, pulling back to pull her in slightly, and then Chad bounded up with the basketball, shoving it into Troy' chest. He released Gabriella and took the ball looking annoyed and disappointed; Gabriella's face mirrored his as she backed off inconspicuously.

He didn't know why he didn't want his son and the science geek to be close; he just didn't like it, even if they did fit together and sing together as well as jigsaw pieces.

Troy walked away from Chad, following Gabriella into the crowd and Jack's eyes were suddenly drawn to Chad, who had gone further to the back of the gym and stopped as Taylor ran in his direction. His arm caught her around the waist and his other one gripped her upper arm possessively before she could go past him and he swung her into him to help her keep her balance, one there her released the hand on her arm.

Chad was talking, Jack couldn't hear from here but Taylor held a question in her eyes as she spoke. Chad answered and Taylor smiled, twisting out of his grasp and running to Gabriella, who was talking to Troy. Taylor pushed him to the side gently and squeaked out what Chad had told her.

"Chad just asked me out!"

For some odd reason, he wasn't as bothered by this as he knew he would be if Gabriella had just said that to Taylor about Troy.

Gabriella smiled and watched her friend leave, twisting round to see a blonde girl with a silver designer handbag.

Jack knew she was in the school musicals; that was Mrs. Darbus' area, he didn't know her.

As the students in the hall started another song, he left the referee and sat on one of the chairs, he glimpsed Gabriella's mother at the end of the hall, watching them all.

He watched Troy sing a bit with the beat the band had struck up and then his gaze swivelled to Gabriella who came in with another part. She danced a bit with a few of the basketball team members and Jason twirled her sending her into Troy, who readily caught her round the waist, she placed her hands on his shoulders, smiling at him as she finished her line, "Together's where we belong." Troy smiled at her, she returned it and spun away and took a place in the crowd next to him and they started on a chorus, it amazed Jack they could remember dance moves and lines to such a number of songs.

He automatically scowled as Troy placed and arm across the girls' shoulder, his hand at her waist and turned away from the crowd, the others following in pairs.

He recognised the face of the piano girl leaving with Jason from the team, Troy hadn't said anything so he was just as oblivious to whom she was as he was to the blonde.

Jack decided to leave; Troy came in and went home on the bus anyway so he went to his office to pack up.

Mrs. Montez slipped into the theatre and stood in the shadows, amazed at what she saw.

After the decathlon had been delayed because of one of the container's contents had reacted, Gabriella had left first with encouragement from her team; that in itself was weird. Gabriella loved the decathlons and she had run.

After she got out of the room to see if she was OK there was a stampede going in the direction of the theatre. She weaved in and out of the students struggling to get to the other side of the building and as she stopped by the wall to see if she could spot Gabriella's locker she caught sight of the basketball team run past, headed for the theatre. This was odd.

They should be in the championships game right now, Gabriella had mentioned something about her thing and theirs being on the same day.

She rounded the corner and stopped, the corridor was empty; Gabriella wasn't at her locker so Mrs. Montez decided to look elsewhere.

She went to the garden outside but that too was empty so she went round the school.

The cafeteria was empty, as was the gym, the corridors and the music rooms.

She quickly headed to the homeroom where all she found was a bucket on the front desk with four phones inside. One was Gabriella's, the other three she didn't recognise, but seeing the screen of a black one lit up, she recognised the smiling face of Gabriella. This belonged to someone she knew, she was smiling at the camera on the side of the phone; she knew the picture had been taken.

Mrs. Montez left the room seeing no where else to go but the theatre. She approached it quietly, the back door was slightly open and the sound of singing drifted to her ears.

Gabriella.

Now she stood there watching her shy daughter sing with a boy she recognised on stage in front of the many crowds she had seen come this way earlier.

Gabriella had happiness filling her brown eyes as she sang in perfect synchronisation with the boy.

His name evaded her; she simply could not remember who he was.

She watched, her heart filling with happiness and pride as the boy spun her, the audience erupted and the few that had remained sitting stood up with the rest. A large blonde lady in front of her with large framed glasses and a violent purple shawl was jigging about stupidly, clapping her hands grandly and trying to get the beat right.

"If we're trying," Gabriella sung, her head turned to the boy, a smile over her flawless face.

"Yeah, we're breaking free," he sang that part with her and as he joined in, they moved closer so slightly that with the dancing it was not really recognisable, but she noticed, her daughter and the boy she sung with were so close together their bodies were practically touching.

As they separated again and danced around the cut out moon Mrs. Montez caught sight of two teens that looked very peeved off.

One was blonde, Gabriella had mentioned her name was Sharpay and her twin, the boy stood next to her, was Ryan. Apparently, they had got the lead roles in all the school productions; this would be the first time they hadn't.

Gabriella and her singing partner finished the song looking into each others eyes and Mrs. Montez could sense something there. She held in a smile as the boy leant in and kissed her on the cheek.

Mrs. Montez left to the decathlon room and minutes later the team for East High came in, Taylor shrieking madly and Gabriella smiling, her face slightly flushed from the singing and dancing.

The decathlon went without any further hitches and for the first time East High made it past the first round, going on to win.

Mrs. Montez hugged her daughter as they were dismissed.

"Well done."

Gabriella smiled, "Thanks mum."

"I have a question; did you and Taylor plan that?" Mrs. Montez wanted to know how they had managed to do everything.

Gabriella smiled and told her everything. About Troy saying they could work it out if they worked together, everyone joining in and about short circuiting the basketball clock and sabotaging the liquid in the container to allow them to get out and come back later, giving them time to do the audition in between.

Mrs. Montez should have been disapproving they had been tampering, but she wasn't, it proved they were clever enough, and her daughter had gotten over her stage fright.

Gabriella left to change for the party that happened after every basketball game, win or lose, and Mrs. Montez left for the gym.

So that was his name, Troy, Troy Bolton. Well if he would willingly leave basketball practice when his dad was the coach to sing and rehearse with her daughter, he was good enough for her.

The basketball game had ended and she watched silently as Jack Bolton took the trophy to the team and gave it to Troy, he was hoisted up and upon reaching the ground, hugged by his father. Mrs. Darbus came up and said something to Troy and left immediately afterwards.

Mrs. Montez saw Gabriella come through the doors, she knew who she was looking for and watched; this spelled entertainment.

Gabriella was wearing the dress she had bought her a few months ago. It was the scarlet one that she had kept in her cupboard all the time.

Gabriella ran up behind Troy and hugged him. He turned and did a double take, she wasn't surprised really.

They held each others arms as they spoke and then he leaned in as if to kiss her.

Mrs. Montez suddenly felt like a child. Though it was her daughter she was focused on she was silently yelling out _Kiss her! Come on, kiss her!_

It felt like high school, sitting, waiting for the outcome of a first kiss, but she didn't get her outcome.

Chad, the loyal best friend, picks that moment to rush in to hand Troy a basketball. A basketball!

Mrs. Montez observed their expressions. Gabriella seemed disappointed and backed up, turning to find Kelsi, a friend she had made through call back rehearsals. Troy looked disappointed too, and annoyed.

He went after Gabriella, reaching her and turning her round before she found Kelsi, he started to talk again, but Mrs. Montez looked to Chad, he had an arm around Taylor, smiling. _Troy, quick, cut them up, let Chad have a taste of his own medicine._

Taylor worked her way free of Chad and broke up Troy and Gabriella again when she jumped in; telling Gabriella what Chad had been telling her. What ever it was she looked happy.

Gabriella smiled, and turned to face Sharpay. Their discussion was quick and after it Gabriella clapped when Troy gave Kelsi the basketball then disappeared.

Kelsi stood with the ball awkwardly but a boy from the basketball team, she didn't know his name, took of her hat, her brown/red locks tumbled down her shoulders and he stepped closer behind her and taught her how to shoot.

After Kelsi's aided basket, the band struck up a song.

Troy was singing again, weaving in and out of the crowd, as he finished, Gabriella came back in singing her part and she danced around with some of the basketball team boys. As one finished spinning her she spun into Troy, who caught her, she put her hands on his shoulders and finished her line, which put a smile on his face, "Together's where we belong."

She spun away from him, still smiling at him.

The whole crowd joined in with the chorus and Mrs. Montez stood up.

This was a kid's party, most of the teachers had left, Jack Bolton however remained sitting in the stands. He was scowling; Mrs. Montez had a good idea at what.

He was a dedicated basketball coach and champion; that was what he wanted for Troy. It must have got him really put out when he said he wanted to start singing. As if that wasn't bad enough (in his eyes) Troy had also fallen for the girl who had shown him a different life, Mrs. Montez could see it. If he had been here all this time, he would have seen them almost kiss too. Not to mention he could hear the song, he would have heard Gabriella's line, seen where they stood and seen Troy's look of elation, the two of them, if no one else understood the meaning and implications of her words.

Mrs. Montez smiled, he'd get used to the idea. _He has to, they are so getting together!_

She quietly slipped from the hall to her car, Gabriella could get the bus back with Troy, Taylor and Chad, she had a feeling Gabriella wouldn't mind.


End file.
